ASC to overhaul sports

Australian sport has been humbled into a radical overhaul to regain its place among the world's elite, setting out new targets based on a more efficient use of taxpayer funds.

After a decade-long decline, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has announced a 10-year program to restore Australia's sporting stature.

But it will have to do so without any increase to the $170 million annual federal government funding, instead adopting a smarter approach to spending the money available.

Among several measures announced in the Australia's Winning Edge: 2012-2022 program on Friday, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) will be drastically restructured, there will be $20 million worth of increased support for coaches and leadership, improved talent identification programs and a focus on innovation.

In return for the ASC's commitment to greater efficiency and to find the money for the new initiatives, sporting organisations must also trim the fat and become more efficient and accountable.

Two months into his job, ASC chairman John Wylie has wasted little time in transferring his business principles into Australian sport.

Wylie, the managing director of investment bank Lazard Australia told an MCG room full of the country's top sporting administrators that international sport has become a "hard-nosed business" and Australia must adopt the same attitude.

"There is an opportunity to improve efficiency, reduce duplication, reduce complexity and improve collaboration in the Australian sporting system. These can and must be addressed," Wylie said.

Funding will be based on a sport's ability to produce medals and on its administration meeting the highest standards in governance and accountability.

Sports that receive funding must report publicly on their progress through the ASC's annual Australia's Winning Edge:State of Sports report.

The efficiency drive could even mean slimmed down Olympic teams. Australia sent a team of 410 to London this year for a return of seven gold medals, its worst Olympic performance since 1992.

"We will have a look at the size of Olympic teams in the future, obviously with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC)," Wylie said.

ASC chief executive Simon Hollingsworth insists the overhaul is not a response to London but is a reflection on the country's declining performance over the past 10 years.

Australia has won fewer medals at each Olympics since Sydney 2000 and this year will have around half the number of world champions it did a decade ago.

"The international sporting environment is getting tougher, it's become much more business like, there's more money involved and competitive standards have gone up," Wylie said.

"We as a country need to respond to that and the ASC's new strategy is about helping the athletes and putting us back on the top table of international sport."

The ASC has for the first time said it was aiming for a top-five finish in the medals table in Rio.

It also wants top five in the Paralympics, top spot in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, top 15 in the winter Olympics and at least 20 world champions each year.

In its first major restructure, the AIS will hand over control of its direct sports programs to the individual sporting bodies and assume control of investment in high performance sport on behalf of the ASC while overseeing medical, scientific and technological development.

It will also conduct an annual draft camp to attract athletes in other sports into Olympic disciplines.